Thursday, 1 December 2011

You are what you eat

I am a bit of a foodie. A quick trawl through this website shows that on occasion I go nuts in the kitchen with a dodgy recipe or two. I find it therapeutic to cook. I do not know why, but I just do I know many people feel scare, even lost in the kitchen. I tell them, do not worry, to calm down.

Cooking, can be easy or hard, but it is up to the mentality of the person doing the cooking.

If the chef approaches cooking with a fun attitude, then no matter the result, the journey, rather than the destination will be enjoyed. And with practice, success will be found on the palette too. However, if the cook is stressed, not bothered or just plain panics while seeing lots of pots and pans and decides to clean the cooker top rather than observe the frying of the onions, then disaster ensues.

And there is a reason why I love cooking, it is simple. I love to eat. Well.

While I could live off junk food, for me it is an empty existence. And I do know all the best places to go in the world to get good street food. My holidays abroad abound with tales on he cheapest eateries that serve wholesome local fare. Why can't every restaurant or street stall do this simple task, I do not know.

Yes, I love to eat. And I love to ea the food I like. If I cannot cook, them I am dependent on someone else. Plus, if I cannot cook, how can I be fussy (which is rare) about the food I eat? I would be hypocritical.

And there is another reason why I like to eat, well. I like to be strong.

I am in relatively good health for a man of my age. No infirmities, I can cycle regularly, I still have what may be termed a virile existence and I can go without sleep for long periods of time. I rarely get sick. I put this down to two things. One, my own aptitude. I do believe that a healthy mind is a healthy body. Not that my thoughts are healthy, quite the opposite, but I have an outlook which is get up and go.

The second is also what I eat. Everyday I will plough a huge amount of fruits and vegetables into me. I can safely say that I eat over 300 oranges, pears and apples every year. I probably eat close to 1,500 tomatoes every year and my banana, plum, berry, cucumber and carrot intake are also stratospherically high.

And yes, while I do like the occasional pig out and gorge on junk food days, the bulk of the time, I do steer towards more wholesome options. I do not diet, I do not believe in it. I do eat well, and often over the calorific intake that is recommended. But I make sure that my activities throughout the day balance that out. After all, why starve yourself the pleasure of endorphins and food?

And at this moment in time, I am grateful that I do eat well. It helps the body far more than I realised...